we rest not in any thing wrought in us or by us as meritorious Paul is this sense looks it all as drâ—ss and dung and at the last day when perfect desires only to be found in Christ not having his own righteousness which is of the Law hut that which is of Faith by Jesus Christ Philip. 3.9 And as when a man gives possession to another of an house he turns all out no quiâ—â— thing must be there so all Sin and all confidence iâ— our own righteousness turn out that Christ alâ—nâ— may take possession of the Soul which he hath purchased long ago at so dear a rate 4. Fourthly It s necessary that we he regenerate and born from above John 3.3 5. Jesus said 〈◊〉 Niâ—â—dâ—mns except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Old things are past away and all things become now Wâ— muâ—t have new thoughts new desires new seaâ—â— new sorrows new Joys new speeches new company new objects a new conversation in a word that 〈◊〉 live frâ—m Christ according to Christ and for Christ ends and not contend with Christ any more abâ—â—â— the preâ—eminence of the first cause and the last end but make Christ the Alpha and Omega in all things 5. Fifthly That we close with Christ by faith as our Lord and Saviour John 1.12 But as many as received him to them he gave power to become the sons of God even to them that believe in his name The soul being first sensible of its lâ—st estate and secondly seeing a necessity of a Saviour Acts 4.12 And thirdly being taken with the beauty and excellency of Christ then faith closeth with Christ as Lord and Saviour takes Christ as a Prophet to instruct him and as a Priest to save him and as a King to rule over him And afterward the soul attaines to assurance of his Love 1 John 5.13 These things have I written to you that you believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have Eternal Life by a holy walking with God for in that sense good works justifie Faith declaratively as faith doth the sinner 6. Sixthly and lastly that we be sincere that is first to hate all sin and loth it Secondly perform or endeavour to perform all known duties Psal 119.6 I shall not be ashamed when I have respect to all thy Commandments Thirdly to walk as in the sight of God Esa 48 3. Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight Fourthly That though we do but little yet what we do we do for Gods ends that he may be glorified 1 Cor. 10.31 Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of God O then let us be sincere else we shall lose the things that we have wrought 2. John 8. Look to your selves that we lose not these things which we have wrought but that you receive a full reward For this heaven of hypocrisie spreads swells and sowres all we do and so maâ—â—s all It spreads and sowrs then it puffs up the Soul with spiritual pride and no sin more dangerous than this Hypocrisie makes all we do but as shining sins as the gilded Mice of the Philistins that were sightly in the eyes of men but of no value with God Jehu did many glorious things but all was nothing because his heart was not upright with God or before God These are the things that accompany Salvation which whoever attains unto shall certainly be Saved without which the Lord according to Scripture rule will not Save you if they be not really and effectually wrought in you by the holy spirit Oh! then let me beseech you to whom these lines shall come Strive to enter in at the straight gate be sure you build not upon a sandy foundation Mat. 7.26 But upon the rock Jesus Christ Mat. 7.24 Rest not in any thing short of Christ Take heed you perish not near the City of refuge but consider that saying of Christ Mat. 7.22 Many will say unto me in that day Lord Lord have we not Prophesied in thy name open to us to whom Christ will say depart from me I never knew you Now to attain to what is here said is daily to seek to the Lord who turns the hearts as rivers of Waters Prov. 21.1 And hath Promised to take away the hearts of Stone and give hearts of Flesh and to put his spirit in us and cause us to walk in his wayes Ezek. 36.26 27. We must attend in all holy ordinances as constant prayer in secret and with others In hearing and daily reading the holy Scriptures some part of them Also the Sacraments must not be neglected Christ is a Prince and a Saviour He gives Repentance and remission of sins Acts 5.31 He is a God hearing Prayers to him must all flesh come saith the Psalmist and those that come unto him he will in no wise cast off John 6.37 Christ will forgive iniquities transgressions and sins For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil 1 John 3.8 Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will ease you and you shall find rest to your Souls Mat. 11.28 Christ is our Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 A Letter written by Doctor Winter to a Gentlewoman who was under great Trouble of mind My dear Friend and Sister in Christ I Received your welcome Letter and return you many thanks for your dear affections and fervent Prayers for me an unworthy Instrument in the hands of Christ But am very sorry that you are relapsed into your former doubting thoughts which I entreat you to wave and lay aside lest Christ upbraid you as he did his Disciples Mark 16. with your unbelief and hardness of heart When Christ was risen from the dead and his work was done he doth not go to Heaven but staies on Earth a place not fit for a glorified Body and conversâ—a with his Disciples and that not so much for his 〈◊〉 Honour to prove himself not to be held by the hâ—â—â—s of death as to strengthen our Faith and in the day of his Resurrection he appeared five times like one that cannot endure to be out of our company though he ever finds something among us that might justly make him withdraw as he did among them therefore the Lord upbraids them for want 1 of clearness of faith Luke 24.26 2 of fulness of faith ver 25. Slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken 3 of comfort of faith ver 17. And are sad 4 Of not owning their faith ver 21. We trusted that it had been he that should have delivered Israel 5 Of readiness of faith Ver. 25. O fools and slow of heart to believe He had expressed abundance of love in satisfying
and I must now die which also came to pass for she could not be delivered XI After Doctor Winters return into England he with his Wife came to London and for a month sojourned in Doctor Drakes House In which time his second Daughter fell sick of the Twisting of the Guts She had two able Physitians Doctor French and Doctor Cox She lay in very great torture from Munday till Saturday night and the Doctors had very little hope of her Life On Saturday evening Doctor Winter came in and meeting with her Sister asked how she did Her Sister answered she thought that now she was very near unto death For that the Doctors having prescribed something to be given her in a Spoon her teeth were so set that her Aunt and she had much ado to open them to put it into her mouth But said she Sir what do you think of her Give me said he a candle that I may go into my chamber and anon I will tell you whether she shall live or die When he came down she met him at the foot of the stairs and asked him what he thought of her now He answered Your Sister will live And going up into her Chamber he spake to his Wife and bid her to use all means possible for her recovery For said he she must not dye this time His Wife begged of him not to be so confident for that she was very near unto Death and no hopes of Life remained Yet he told her Mother and Aunts that she should recover and live His Wife was much troubled at it notwithstanding all her former experiences But the next day signs of her recovery began to appear and within a little space she was perfectly well Some other instances might be given but these may suffice as evidently demonstrating that the Lord is a Prayer-hearing God That never saith to the seed oâ— Jacob Seek ye my Face in vain Probably the incredulous World will not believe these things to bâ—trueâ— but judge them rather to be Romances and fancies than realities But there are so many Consciencious Persons and of Good credit yet living who can and will attest the Truth of them that there is no place left to distrust or doubting among those that are sober and judicious Amos 3.7 Surely the Lord God will dâ— nothing but he revealeth his secret unâ—â— his Servants the Prophets John 16.23 Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my Name He will give it you v. 24. Hitherto have you asked nothing in my Name Ask and ye shall receive that you Joy may be full A Letter written by Doctor Winter to a Gentleman desiring of him a short and plain account of what was necessary to the Person that would be saved THough many things in Scripture be required of a Christian which he is bound to observe not to â—â—tain any Truth in unrighteousness for whosoever pâ—rsisteth in any sinful course against his light of Conscience without remorse and hearty sorrow for the same sinneth fundamentally Rom 1.18 For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against aâ— ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness Yet there are not many things in themselves absolutely necessary to selvation without which no man can be Saved These God in much mercie hath set down in holy â—â—itt that the meanest and weakest Christians may understand Luke 19.42 If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace c. From whence 〈◊〉 may observe that a man may know many things â—â—d yet not know the thing which concerns his everlasting peace The understanding is the first that lives and the last that dies I say then 1. First It is absolutely necessary that there be a work of illumination and conviction and that a clear full particular and through work be upon the understanding which must be renewed and sanctified as well as the will John 16.9 when the Spirit is come he will reprove the world of Sin because they believe not on me Eph. 4.23 And be renewed in the Spirit of your minds so that the soul see sin to be the greatest evil in the world and Christ the greatest good the only excellent and desireable thing Psal 73.25 Whom have I in Heaven but Thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee Philip. 3.8 Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered to loss of all things and do counâ— them but Dung that I may win Christ In the the young man in the Gospel failed for though 〈◊〉 came running to Christ yea kneeled down to him Himself being a Ruler he thought he had kept the Commandments from his youth he thought he saw aâ— excellency in Christ else why went he away sorrowful yet because he saw a greater excellency in the world and Embraced that rather than Christ 〈◊〉 perished Mark 10.17 Luke 18.18 2 Secondly It is necessary that the heart be broken Psal 51.17 A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise A broken heart is the sound heart the oyl of Grace is poured into the broken Vessel as first the heart must be broken with hearty sorrow for sin as sin as it is a breach of the Law and Command of God 1 John 3.4 Whosoever committeth Sin Transgresseth the Law for Sin is the transgression of the Law We must grieve for Christ Crucified by and for us Zech. 12.10 They shall look upon me whom they have Pierced and they shall mourn as one mourneth for his only Son and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first-born Till Sin is bitter to us Christ will not be sweet to us Again he must be broken down 2 Cor. 10.5 That all the strong holds of Sin be tumbled down and all those high thoughts and strong imaginations be laid low that those invincible forts of sin be level'd and the will subdued to the will of Christ Again thirdly the heart must be broken through that the heart be contrite Psal 51.17 A Contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise The heart must be as it were shivered in pieces and melted before the Lord not like an Earthen Jugg that is broken indeed but the pieces remain hard as before and thus it was with Pharaoh King of Egypt Again fourthly its necessary the heart be broken from Sin as well as for sin it s called Repentance from dead works Heb. 6.1 He that doth not break off his former sins and bid adiew to them no more to act sin and live in sin as farmerly cannot expect to be saved in the day of Christ 1 Pet. 2.24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the Tree that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness 3. Thirdly It s necessary that we should be emptied of all self righteousness so that
all the claimes that Justice would make and when Satan verily thought he had dispatched him out of the way He being buryed and that as a malefactor so that either he should not rise at all or not in glory and reputation among men now Christ riseth in despight of Hell and the Father gives him glory 2 Pet. 1.17 That our faith and hope may be in God and therefore Christ expresseth a dissatisfaction and discontent at them for their unkindness and unthankfulness as if he had said Time was when you were glad to know any thing that concerned me when you hung upon me and whatever I said to you was a Law and catertained with greediness Why then are ye so backward now Are my merits ere a whit the less Or are you not sensible of your need that you are so slow of heart to believe in me your everlasting Redeemer Now consider what Christ spake to them He speakes to you for all Scripture is writt for our Learning and though Christ will not condemn you yet he may and he doth it seems upbraid you and such upbraidings and frowns of Christ are or should be as much as death yea Hell it self to a believer as Hell was before we believed For the Conscience is mâ—n wounded by way of Gods special love as a Friend than by his hatred as an Enemy If it were possible for a man to be thrown out of Gods armâ— of Love into Hell Hell would be more to him than any other For this made Christs sufferings so great because he was so infinitely beloved of the Father as alwaies lying in his bâ—some Consider what I say as Christ takes it ill that we should question his Love so of all sins he will bear with none less than that of Vnbelief The Disciples had many failings but he upbraids them with no sin so much as Unbelief as being of all sins the most grievouâ— to him therefore as you would make Conscience of any other sin see that you make Conscience of this namely of not believing in the Son of God 1 John 3 23. Consider further why were these doubtings of Thomas and the Disciples â—ecorded but to strengthen our faith they doubted of the Resurrection of Christ that the world might not doubt and t is observable that Thomas doubted more than all the rest therefore he bore a more eminent testimony to Christ than they did crying out My Lord and my God being the first that â—wned Christ as God Go you and do likewise Trust perfectly in the grace of the Lord Jesus and to encourage you remember 1 you have his Word for salvation and that Word to us surer than that voice from Heaven This is my well beloved Son hear Him 2 Pet. 1.19 And the Earth shall sooner reel than the Word and Promise of God fail 2 You have his Covenant the sure mercies of David Jer. 31.3 17. If Heaven above can be measured and the foundations of the Earth searched out beneath I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that which they have done 3 You have the Attributes of God for you the Pillars of Heaven yea the Pillars of God and are not these sufficient to support your soul There is not one Attribute of God against you but all for you yea Justice it self so that you may plead with God not only in point of mercy but of Justice also for Christ hath satisfied for all your sins therefore with reverence be it spoken God cannot in justice require the same debt twice of your Surety and of you also see Rom. 3.2 4 You have this attested by the broad Seal of Heaven namely the Sacrament and Privy Seal of the spirit called the Earnest of the Spirit against that day and then there will be no need of that Earnest when we have the purchased possession but his Earnest shewes you that he is in Earnest not in Jestâ— and Gâ—d will not assuredly lose his Earnest which is pare of the bargain and confirms it to you 5 Consider all the glory of the Father 〈◊〉 upon Christ was that our faith and hope might be in God the Jews slighted Christ 〈◊〉 him but had they seen him in glory they would have believed on him 6 Christ should not discharge his office if he should not reâ—eive such as you and do you think that Christ will be unfaithful to his Father or to poor souls that come unto God by him I tell you the Lord hath made two sorts of Promises 1 of Faith John 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me namely by Faith 2 To Faith as it Follows in the same verse and he that cometh I will in no wise cast out 1 Of the Church 2 Of my heart 3 Of Heaven Therefore make a venture and cast your soul on him who will not sail to keep safely that which is committed to his trust And let me tell you farther we are the Embassadours of Christ to treat with sinners in Christs name upon his own terms and therefore if you come in upon the terms of the Gosspel out of the sense of the poverty of your spirit and close with Christ as seeing an excellency in him above all the world so as to give your self to him and never to part with him I say then that Christ is bound and must of necessity make good what his Embassadours have propounded and concluded in his name in whose name according to the contents of your Letter and the former knowledge I have had of you I do declare as a Minister of Christ that all your sins are forgiven you and therefore I charge you that you rowle your self upon the Lord the burden is too heavy for you to bear but what you cannot bear that rowle upon the Lord and know assuredly though we be unfaithful yet he abideth faithful and cannot deny himself the Promise is made to the truth and not to the degrees of grace Lastly if you persist in unbelief consider how grievous this is to Christ forget not what was said before that Christ upbraided the Disciples and doubtless the anger of Christ was never greater than the offence nor the reproof unsutable unto the fault therefore chide your soul Why dost thou cast down thy self O my soul Why art thou disquieted within me still trust in God who is the help of my faces that is who saves eminently perspicuously so that a man may see Salvation in the face If all that I have said will not prevail know I have your Hand and Seal against you and must needs witness against you in that day but I hope better things of you that the Bowels of Christ will melt you and his arms open'd upon the Cross allure you to run to him who never rejected any that came to him and do you think that you shall be the first As to that Query What is the lowest degree of faith I answer some say the lowest act of faith is to see a possibility of mercy but if I should say so I should exclude many a precious Saint out of Heaven I say then the lowest act of faith is to put a high estimate upon Christ as the chiefest of ten thousand Cant. 5.10 So as to cleave to him and not to part with him for ever though the soul see no probability no not possibility of mercy this is poverty of spirit the lowest round of Jacobs Ladder To make this plainâ— suppose such a Maid hath strong affections to such a Person but he is otherwise inclined yea ingaged so that there is no possibility of obtaining him yet there is true Love The Case suits with many a soul that cannot see any possibility of enjoying Christ yet Loves him dearly could be content to begg with him why here is true Love and therefore faith for faith worketh by Love Wherefore I say look after Christ with a wishly eye with a long look and you shall be saved Isa 45. For the prayers made toward Christ the living Temple are heard as well as the prayers that are made in the Temple though they cannot evidence their union with Christ My Dear Friend I commend these lines to you The Pin of the Dyall points at the hour of the day but cannot tell what a Clock 't is unless the Sun shine unless the Lord shine upon your heart you can see no light of grace or comfort The Lord create the fruit of the lips peace which I begg for you Pray for me still as I desire to do for You Your assured Friend S. W.